Stream Crystalfin #762

General

Crystalfins are unusual little whales which inhabit large freshwater rivers. They are almost completely blind and find their way around using their sensitive beaks and echolocation, the latter of which is aided by delicate crystals growing along their bodies. These crystals have properties which allow the dolphins to amplify and direct sound -- useful for catching prey and avoiding predators. In addition to helping the dolphins navigate, the crystals are said to have magical healing properties, but rather than healing people or creatures, many believe these crystals keep the rivers where the dolphins live healthy. The Stream has a small population of river dolphins that are rarely ever seen, but they are thought to have an important role in maintaining the Stream. They are one of the few creatures aside from the kaetus which actively live in the Stream, and their ability to keep rivers healthy is thought to contribute to the Stream's magical properties. Most of the time they keep hidden in stretches of water which are far from human settlements or deep enough for them to hide in, but a lucky student might spot one of these shy creatures coming up for a breath of air during the warm summer months.

Egg

This white egg is unusually heavy and has small colorful crystals growing on its surface.

Hatchling

Crystalfin eggs are almost never seen in nature. Females disappear during the wet months of the year and it is thought they migrate upriver during this time to find breeding pools in which they hide their eggs. No one is sure where these breeding pools are or whether many dolphins use the same pools like some species of fish which spawn upriver, but the females return at the start of summer accompanied by their newborn calves. Young crystalfins tend to be fragile compared to their parents, and must build their strength in the coming months before they begin to stray far from their mothers. Calves remain with their mothers until they are five or six years old, at which point they usually leave their pod to join another and form a family of their own.

Adult

Crystalfins can be seen swimming up their respective rivers in small groups of up to seven members. Pods are usually made up of a male, a few females, and their offspring, but occasionally unrelated pods will travel together if there is enough food and space. Crystalfins eat mostly fish, finding their prey in murky river waters with the use of echolocation. Although claims that their crystals can clean and rejuvenate rivers are popular in both Taggelisk and the Keep, the few scholars who study these dolphins have their doubts about the degree to which crystalfins are able to use this power. If the water becomes polluted, the dolphins venture further and further upriver in search of food. This has lead experts to speculate that while they may be able to clean or restore the nutrients in small stretches of rivers, their cleansing magic is relatively weak and it is the part they play in the food chain which maintains the ecosystem in which they live.